Media organizations demand Israel open access to Gaza

More than 70 media and civil society organizations have signed an open letter calling on Israel to grant journalists independent access to Gaza. In addition to the 152 journalists killed, Israel has expelled the Qatari media company Aljazira from its headquarters in Jerusalem. Foreign journalists are only allowed access to the territory through tours controlled by the Israeli military. Despite this, the letter avoids any explicit criticism of the Israeli government.

The organizations — which include the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, the BBC, CNN, The Guardian, The New York Times and The Washington Post — point out that no independent media has been allowed access to Gaza since the war began, increasing pressure on domestic journalists and creating a space for false and misleading information to flourish.

“More than 100 journalists have been killed since the war began, and those who remain are working in conditions of extreme deprivation. The result is that information from Gaza is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain and that the reports that do reach it are subject to repeated questions about their veracity,” the organizations said in the letter, which was coordinated by the Committee to Protect Journalists. Official figures put the number of journalists killed so far at 152.

The letter comes ahead of a planned visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the United States, where he is due to meet with US President Joe Biden and address the US Congress on July 24.

CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg put it more bluntly, noting: “President Netanyahu describes Israel as a democracy. His actions toward the media tell a different story. International journalists, Israelis, and Palestinians outside Gaza must have independent access to Gaza so they can judge for themselves what is happening in this war—instead of being fed a handful of tours organized by the Israeli military.”

In addition to media outlets, the signatories—which span more than 27 countries—include professional groups and organizations dedicated to defending press freedom. In February 2024, more than 30 news organizations signed an open letter from CPJ expressing solidarity with journalists working in Gaza and calling for their protection and freedom to report. At the time, the companies avoided criticizing Israel.

The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide. We defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.

Read the full letter below:

We, the undersigned, demand that Israeli authorities immediately end restrictions on foreign media entering Gaza and grant independent access to international news organizations seeking access to the territory.

Nine months after the war began, international reporters are still being prevented from accessing Gaza, except for rare, escorted trips arranged by the Israeli military. This effective ban on foreign reporting has placed an impossible and unreasonable burden on local reporters to document a war they are living through. More than 100 journalists have been killed since the war began, and those who remain are working in conditions of extreme deprivation. The result is that information from Gaza is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain, and that the reporting that does reach Gaza is subject to repeated questions about its veracity.

We fully understand the risks inherent in reporting from war zones. These are risks that many of our organizations have taken over decades to investigate, document developments as they occur, and understand the impacts of war around the world.

A free and independent press is a cornerstone of democracy. We urge Israel to live up to its commitments to press freedom by providing foreign media with immediate and independent access to Gaza, and to live up to its international obligations to protect journalists as civilians.

Signatories

1. ABC News, United States
2. Agence France-Presse, France
3. Alternative Press Syndicate, Líbano
4. Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism
5. Asian American Journalists Association, United States
6. Associated Press, United States
7. Association for International Broadcasting, UK
8. Foreign Press Correspondents Association, United States
9. Bangladeshi journalists in international media, Bangladesh
10. BBC News, UK
11. Bianet, Türkiye
12. Bloomberg News, United States
13. CBS News, United States
14. CNN Worldwide, United States
15. CONNECT
16. Community Media Forum Europe, Belgium
17. CTV News, Canada
18. Daily Maverick, South Africa
19. Daraj, Libano
20. Denik referendum, Czech Republic
21. European Broadcasting Union, Switzerland
22. European Federation of Journalists
23. Financial Times, United Kingdom
24. Forbidden Stories, France
25. fotosintesi.info, Italy
26. Free Press Unlimited, Holanda
27. Global Investigative Journalism Network
28. Global Reporting Centre, Canada
29. International Association of Women in Radio and Television
30. International Center for Journalists, United States
31. International Fund for Public Interest Media
32. International Media Support, Denmark
33. International News Security Institute, UK
34. International Women’s Media Foundation, United States
35. ITN, UK
36. The Mauritian, Mauritius
37. McLatchy, United States
38. Media Development Center, Tunisia
39. Media Diversity Institute, UK
40. Eye of the Middle East
41. National Association of Hispanic Journalists, United States
42. National Press Club, United States
43. National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, Philippines
44. NBC News, United States
45. Nieman Foundation for Journalism, Harvard University, United States
46. NPR, United States
47. Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project
48. Premium Times, Nigeria
49. Prospect Magazine, UK
50. Public Media Alliance
51. Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, United States
52. Rory Peck Trust, UK
53. RTÉ News and Current Affairs, Ireland
54. Rural Media Network, Pakistan
55. Sky News, United Kingdom
56. SMN24Media, Sri Lanka
57. Somali Media Women’s Association, Somalia
58. Radio Sveriges, Sweden
59. Bureau of Investigative Journalism, United Kingdom
60. Foreign Press Association, Israel and the Palestinian Territories
61. The Guardian, UK
62. The Irish Times, Irlanda
63. The New York Times, United States
64. The Washington Post, United States
65. Twala, Algeria
66. Vocento, Spain
67. VRT News, Belgium
68. Wattan Media Network, Palestina
69. World Association for Christian Communication
70. World News Publishers Association (WAN-IFRA), Germany
71. Yle News and Current Affairs, Finlândia